Portland City Council Votes to Join the JTTF

Portland City Council Votes to Join the JTTF

PORTLAND, OR—On Thursday, February 19, 2015, the Portland City Council voted 3-2 to assign two Portland Police Bureau (PPB) officers to the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Mayor Charlie Hales joined Commissioners Dan Saltzman and Nick Fish in voting to allow PPB officers to participate in the JTTF. PPB officers will join other regional law enforcement partners involved in the JTTF.

U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall joins in applauding the vote of the Portland City Council to rejoin the JTTF. “Our thanks to the leadership of Mayor Hales, Commissioner Dan Saltzman, and Commissioner Nick Fish in taking this historic step to work with other regional law enforcement partners to ensure the public safety of the citizens of Portland and the surrounding communities. Law enforcement in this era is dependent upon effective and committed partnerships. The involvement of PPB with their federal and regional law enforcement partners is a crucial component for effective investigative activities, critical oversight of the investigations, and will improve the transparency of the JTTF partners. PPB’s involvement provides community-based assistance with detection, prevention, as well as timeliness in responding and apprehending suspects in the event of an act of terrorism. Combined with the community outreach efforts of the Department of Justice and the FBI to counter violent extremism at the local, national, and international levels, we are committed to work together with the City of Portland to ensure public safety and protect civil liberties.”

Greg Bretzing, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Portland stated that, “We work day in and day out with Portland Police on many different levels—from the street to the chief’s office. Together, we address crime problems that affect the people who live and work in Portland: gang crimes, drug trafficking, child sex trafficking, child predators and more. “Today’s vote to allow Portland Police Bureau to rejoin the JTTF will serve to strengthen that relationship in a critical area—preventing acts of terrorism. It is our mission to keep our shared community safe while at the same time protecting the freedoms we all enjoy in this country.”

“The 104 FBI led Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) around the nation are staffed with federal, state and local law enforcement professionals who share the common goal of protecting our national security and public safety,” said John Carlin, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “I commend the Portland City Council’s decision to allow their police department to rejoin the local JTTF and look forward to having them back on board.